World War II: Panzer Claws (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.9 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Craig Beers
• Reviewed on: 11/26/2002
• Released on: 11/14/2002
• Originally published on GameSpot: World War II: Panzer Claws (PC) Review

You may recognize the developer of World War II: Panzer Claws. Throughout various name changes and publishers, the team has created several real-time strategy games like the Earth 2150 series and World War III: Black Gold. Zuxxez Interactive, as the developer is now known, has teamed up with Eidos for its latest project, a real-time strategy game set in World War II.

Panzer Claws lets you play as the German Wehrmacht, the Soviets, or the Allies. The game has all the standard modes you might expect from a real-time strategy game, including single-player campaigns, instant-action skirmish maps, and multiplayer options. Panzer Claws has six single-player campaigns, divided evenly between the three sides. You do have to complete a tutorial mission before gaining access to the campaigns, but that may be a good thing considering the game's surprisingly steep learning curve. Interestingly, the campaign actually plays differently from the skirmish and multiplayer modes. In the campaign, you're given a set number of units to complete each mission, but in skirmish and multiplayer, you have to construct a base and build units, and you gain money over time by capturing and holding mines and factories spread throughout the map.

The three factions have equivalent units and buildings in terms of functionality, which you might expect, considering the kind of technology that was available during World War II. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the game is the inclusion of infantry, a first for an Earth 3-engine game from Zuxxez. When you start a mission or purchase infantry units, the infantry units appear as a group. For example, a basic infantry squad will actually consist of nine units clumped together. You can split them apart if you'd like, but it's a good idea to keep groups together when you have a lot of troops. Panzer Claws also offers a wide variety of armored vehicles to round out your army. A crew of infantry mans every vehicle and building, and you can send your crew in and out at will. Panzer Claws also has aircraft, but you don't have direct control over them. Instead, you use them as one-shot deals for air reconnaissance, bombing runs, or rocket attacks.

Just about every unit in Panzer Claws serves some valuable function. For example, infantry may seem pointless, since they're so vulnerable to enemy vehicle attack, but they have many purposes. They're very cheap to build and they draw enemy fire, and since tank shells and antitank bunkers do little damage to infantry, you can have opponents waste their time and ammunition on your infantry, and you'll suffer relatively few casualties. Second, your infantry are adept at killing vehicle crews without damaging the actual vehicle, and you can then capture enemy vehicles and use them yourself. While they're surprisingly useful, infantry can sometimes pick up speed for no apparent reason and move as fast as some vehicles. It's rather unpredictable, but it doesn't affect gameplay too much.

Panzer Claws' vehicles are diverse and are balanced against each other in a rock-paper-scissors scheme. For instance, armored cars and halftracks are highly effective against infantry. Tanks are effective against vehicles like armored cars, as well as buildings, but you can't simply load up on powerful tanks and expect to win, since tank destroyers are much cheaper than regular tanks. You'll also be able to recruit units with long-range firing capabilities, which can be a problem if you're running the game at a low graphical resolution, because your field of vision will be limited, which may make it difficult for you to see your long-range attackers.

The campaigns themselves are modeled after real events in the war, including the invasion of the Soviet Union and the subsequent defense of Moscow. Missions range from holding a line against an attack to destroying certain objects, like an armored train. They force you to strategically plan every move. Since you have a limited number of troops and air strikes and sometimes limited ammo, you may find these missions to be especially challenging, and some of Panzer Claws' missions are unusually long.

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